Migrated from previous website on 1-Jan-2012

Last updated: 15-Sep-14

Latest Updates:

Sep14: University of Sydney Veterinary School Dean's Commemorative Award recipients 2014

Dec13: University of Sydney Union Dave Burnett Clubs and Societies Awards 2013

Nov13: University of Sydney Veterinary Commemorative Award in memory of David

Oct13: JCA Dave Burnett LDP Scholar announced

Mar13: ROI and AJF's Dave Grants announced

Mar13: JCA Dave Burnett Fund grant extensions for 2013

Mar13: Jo-Anne Hurwitz/Steve Gandel Engagement donation to Dave Burnett Fund

David had his 22^nd birthday on the very day he left Sydney to commence his ill-fated trip. Following a week in Melbourne at a student leadership conference, he left for Israel where he served as a volunteer group leader (“Madrich”) on a Taglit Birthright Israel program (http://www.birthrightisrael.com/) , leading a group of 40 High School, “gap” and University students for six weeks as they travelled throughout Israel on a combined history, cultural and heritage tour. Following successful completion of this commitment, he made a brief trip to the famous historical town of Petra, Jordan, where he had intended to stay for two days before commencing his trip homewards. 

 

On the afternoon of 22^nd January 2008 (local time) (Tu B'shvat 5768), he died at Petra. Initial details of the accident in which Dave died are on the public record at:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/24/2145140.htm

http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=4819

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/24/2145853.htm

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/labor-star-killed-in-cliff-accident/2008/01/23/1201024978642.html

Eye-witness accounts describe how a cliff-top ledge collapsed under him while he was standing at the Corinthian Tomb, Petra, plummeting him to his death on rocks some 20 metres below. 

Further information on the accident and the community's response can be found at:

http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=4875

http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=4876

(note: some of these URLs have been archived and may no longer be accessible)

David had just completed and graduated BA (History) last October as part of his Arts-Law combined degree, and was still contemplating undertaking an Honours program in History. As a keen student of history his trip to Petra had been intended to be the closing highlight of his trip, following which he was to have returned home a few days later. 

Dave was a major contributor to many facets of Community and University life, and served as NSW President and National Vice-President of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students AUJS (http://www.aujs.com.au/), as a Board member on the Shalom Institute (http://www.shalom.edu.au/), on the Executive Committee of the SRC (http://www.src.usyd.edu.au/), as a Board Director of the University of Sydney Union USU (http://www.usydunion.com/), and as a Convenor of NSW Young Labor (http://www.australianyounglabor.com.au/home.htm). His extraordinary vision, enthusiasm, energy and contributions to a better society had been recognised through a number of honours, including being the first Australian recipient of a Charlie Award (http://www.schusterman.org/).

His eulogy and the obituary can be found at (but note that there are minor errors in the printed articles, in that the correct dates for David's life are 1985-2008):

http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=4904

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/02/21/1203467276014.html

http://www.usyd.edu.au/alumni/about/vales/david_burnett.shtml (now moved to:

http://www.alumni.sydney.edu.au/s/965/index.aspx?sid=965&gid=1&pgid=515 )

His many thousands of friends have created a memorial page on the Facebook social networking site:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8173117433

and ROI120 (http://www.roi120.com/) have made a memorial video in his honour:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KyoeWJmfjM 

A formal Commemorative Tribute to Dave was held on 2^nd March 2008 in the presence of the Chancellor of the University (Professor Marie Bashir, Governor of NSW) on behalf of the Senate of the University, the University of Sydney Union, the Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS), and Young Labor.

At this Tribute, the establishment of a Memorial Foundation was announced in Dave's memory, to continue the work he was doing for our community:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/university-to-dedicate-foundation-to-proud-son/2008/03/01/1204227049990.html

http://www.aujs.com.au/alumni/daveburnettfund.php

The Dave Burnett Fund was launched on the 18^th (“chai”) week anniversary of his death: http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=5727

For those who wish to know more about this Memorial Fund, further information is available from <daveburnettfund@aujs.com.au>  or at http://www.aujs.com.au.

The consecration of David’s grave took place at Macquarie Park Cemetery, Sydney, on 28th September 2008. 

A memorial garden and plaque have also been placed in his memory by his friends at Kiryat Shmonah, Israel.  (See photo of garden and plaque)

Alayim Office, 511 Olei Ha-Gardom St, Kiryat Shmona.

Contact information for the Director of the Office is:

Chaim Shulman

Haimsh74@gmail.com

+972-54-7244791

The memorial garden is in front of the apartment complex directly opposite this address.

The Google Maps location of this address is:

עולי הגרדום 511, קרית שמונה, Israel

Link: <http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%99+%D7%94%D7%92%D7%A8%D7%93%D7%95%D7%9D+511,+%D7%A7%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%AA+%D7%A9%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%94,+Israel&sll=33.198405,35.56739&sspn=0.007927,0.009559&ie=UTF8&ll=33.198845,35.567293&spn=0.007927,0.009559&z=17&iwloc=addr>

Since his death, a number of commemorative activities have taken place. These include:

• In April 2008, funds were donated to purchase medical equipment for Keren Or (http://www.keren-or.org), a Centre for multi-handicapped blind children.
• In June and July 2008, tributes were organised by his friends in New York and (through ROI120) in Israel. 
• In September 2008, AUJS held a fund-raising dinner at the MacLaurin Hall of the University of Sydney to announce and launch the AUJS Alumni Association, reuniting 60 years of AUJS student leaders (http://www.aujs.com.au/alumni/). This was to have been Dave’s next project, and the fund-raising proceeds of the night were donated to the Dave Burnett Fund.
• In November 2008, NSW Young Labor announced the creation of the Dave Burnett Memorial Award, to acknowledge and recognise young leaders who had displayed an outstanding commitment to social justice and multiculturalism in the community. The inaugural recipient of this Award was Kelly Xiao, who had worked closely with Dave in his “Dynamite Dave” election campaign for the University of Sydney Union, and which resulted in significant revitalisation of the University student services program.
• January 2009 marked the first Anniversary of Dave’s accident. We thank the many supporters of and donors to the Dave Burnett Fund, and we are pleased to announce that the Dave Burnett Fund has now raised $150,000. A Call for Submissions was issued in May, inviting community groups to propose projects to receive assistance from the Fund. A Trust Committee is in the process of evaluating the submission received, with the intention of announcing its first Grants and Scholarships in late August/early September 2009. These will be directed into those areas that will continue the direction and spirit of Dave’s contributions during his life.
• In February 2009, Killara High School (Dave’s former school) and the University of Sydney Union, held an inaugural Dave Burnett Leadership Day, designed to provide leadership training for outstanding students from the School.
• In July 2009, the University of Sydney Union received two commissioned Memorial Plaques in Dave’s honour, highlighting various aspects of his student contributions and leadership, including a display of memorabilia of his “Dynamite Dave - Hitting Union with a Bang” election campaign of 2007. The two Plaques were placed in the Boar’s Room of the Holme Building, and in the Manning Bar at Manning House. 

• In August 2009, Killara High School convened a Leadership Induction Day, at which a presentation was made to the school of a Memorial Plaque in Dave’s honour. This Plaque will be placed in the Senior Students’ Common Room.
• In August 2009, the Dave Burnett Foundation announced the recipients of the JCA Dave Burnett Fund inaugural Grants. The Fund was overwhelmed with applications for its inaugural round of Funding support. More than 30 submission packs were sent out, which resulted in 12 formal submissions for funding, and with the total amount of funds requested exceeding the funds available by some 500%. Submissions were evaluated against a number of criteria that best met the specific purposes of the Fund, being the advancement of Jewish students in the areas of Leadership, or Education, or Politics, or Jewish identity. Three organisations received a Dave Burnett Fund inaugural Grant.
• In June 2010, the Sydney University Law School established the David Burnett Memorial Scholarships in Social Justice. These will be offered once per semester for students undertaking the Social Justice Clinical Course.
  See: http://sydney.edu.au/law/cstudent/undergrad/docs_pdfs/SJCC_ScholarshipsInfo_2012.pdf , http://sydney.edu.au/law/fstudent/undergrad/scholarships.shtml

Recipients of the NSW Young Labor Dave Burnett Memorial Award:

• 2008: Kelly Xiao - for her work on developing dialogue and linkages between the Chinese community and the broader Australian community.
• 2009: Glen Falkenstein - for his work on University Campuses called SARAH (Students against Racism and Hatred)

Recipients of the JCA Dave Burnett Fund Grants:

• 2009: Three Grants were announced:
• NSW Board of Jewish Education (BJE): BJE Dave Burnett Jewish Student Network Leadership Initiative: 12 Scholarships
• Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS): AUJS Political Training Seminar (PTS): 15 subsidised Scholarships
• Hineni Youth and Welfare: Hineni Advanced Leadership and Ideology Seminar: Funding of speaker/8 subsidised Scholarships

• 2012: Five Grants were announced:
• Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS): Leadership Development Program (LDP): to establish a Scholarship (named in memory of Dave Burnett) supporting a young Jewish leader, who will receive on-site leadership training in various international diaspora communities. The recipient of the 2012 JCA Dave Burnett LDP Leadership Scholarship was Amie Liebowitz.
• Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS): Political Training Seminar (PTS): to support an annual political advocacy and training program for young Jewish leaders, held on-site in Canberra, the nation's capital.
• NSW Board of Jewish Education (BJE): Senior Leadership Camp Curriculum: to fund curriculum development for young Jewish youth leaders, to be held in a residential camp.
• NSW Board of Deputies: Young Labor/Young Liberal Shabbat dinners: to support annual Shabbat dinners, to which members of the Young Labor and Young Liberal political movement are invited, so as to expose them to Jewish culture and tradition, and to meet Jewish people of the same age and background.
• Shalom Institute: "Footsteps" program: To train through an intensive program up to 30 young community leaders who can run future Jewish youth movements and programs.
• 2013: Two Grants extensions were announced:
• Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS): Leadership Development Program (LDP): to establish a Scholarship (named in memory of Dave Burnett) supporting a young Jewish leader, who will receive on-site leadership training in various international diaspora communities. This Grant was renewed for 2013.
• Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS): Political Training Seminar (PTS): to support an annual political advocacy and training program for young Jewish leaders, held on-site in Canberra, the nation's capital. This Grant was renewed for 2013.

University of Sydney Union receives First Place in 2009 ACUMA Awards for the Dave Burnett Leadership Program:

Recipients of the Sydney Law School David Burnett Memorial Scholarships in Social Justice: